Hello! Are you missing Cinco de Drinko? er….Cinco de Derby?….um….Cinco de Mayo!? There we go! I know I am. I hope your weekend was filled with friends, fun and of course, a little booze. But maybe you’re feeling nostalgic, or maybe you’re just ready for summer. Whatever the reason, I have a great cupcake recipe to share with you! This is great anytime of year, but perfectly fitting as we roll into summer.
Key Lime Cupcakes.
Can I have a moment of silence for these babies?
Do you just want to dive right in?! I know I do.
Fluffy almond cupcakes with a lime vanilla frosting. Ugh. It doesn’t get much better than that.
The cupcake is not overwhelming sweet which means you can punch up the sweet and sour in the frosting. Match made in heaven.
This is one of the first “yellow” cake recipes that doesn’t have a metallic after taste to me which makes it great in my book. I don’t know what t is about the chemical reaction that happens between baking soda and buttermilk but sometimes it just has this gross after taste that I can’t get over.
Never fear, these don’t have that! And the yummy almond flavor is too good to pass up.
Now the frosting. Yum! Who doesn’t love buttercream frosting?! I take my basic buttercream frosting and jazz it up a bit with some lime extract and lime zest. I wouldn’t recommend using lime juice in the frosting, unless you like your frostings to be on the looser side. Up to you. The extract and zest is all you need to send it over the top!
So now all you need is a glass of vinho verde or this rosé sangria and your summer has been made.
You’re welcome.
See ya tomorrow!
Xo,
Danielle
- 2-3/4 cups All Purpose Flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 sticks unsalted butter 1/2 pound
- 2 cups Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons Almond extract
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 2 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature, 1/2 pound
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lime extract
- 2 teaspoons lime zest
- Pinch salt
- 6 cups confectioners' sugar
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin pans with paper liners. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extract, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Reduce the speed to low, then beat in one-third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add another third of the flour, followed by the remaining buttermilk. Beat in the remaining flour, then scrape down the bowl and beat again until the batter is just combined. Do not overmix.
- using a 1.5 inch scoop, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pans, filling 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cupcakes are set, lightly golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean (note that one pan may finish cooking before the other). Cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- For the Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl if using a hand mixer), combine the butter, vanilla and salt. Mix on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium-high and beat until aerated and light, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add 2 cups of the confectioners' sugar; mix on low to combine. Mix in the remaining sugar in two additions, keeping the speed on low. Once all of the sugar is mixed in, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy, about 1 minute.
- When the cupcakes are cool, use a butter knife or small offset spatula to swirl the frosting lavishly over top. The cupcakes are best enjoyed fresh on the day that they are baked. To keep them longer, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and bring to room temperature before serving.
